All-In For a Cause: ACR Poker’s Initiatives Show How Poker Tournaments Can Support Worthy Nonprofits for Disadvantaged Groups
Fundraising is key for nonprofits that support individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, not all fundraising strategies are created equal.
In particular, initiatives that are convenient and engaging for donors have proven to be more effective. Engage for Good outlines that this seems to be the case with “round-up” campaigns, which prompt shoppers to round up their purchases at checkout counters. Because they involve giving as little as 20 cents and don’t require donors to initiate action on their end, they’re easy and accessible for many to accomplish. In 2022 alone, charities raised over $749 million through round-up campaigns.
Another fundraising strategy that promises hefty results through donor engagement is poker. Charity tournaments use the card game’s exciting mechanics to entertain donors, who are further motivated by knowing their buy-ins will go toward a worthy cause. Even sports organizations like the Golden State Warriors’ Community Foundation and celebrities like Tiger Woods hold annual charity poker events.
To gauge their true effectiveness for nonprofits catered to disadvantaged communities, however, it can help to consider ACR Poker, a leader in the $102 billion online poker industry. Known as America’s biggest poker website, it offers a vast tourney schedule with games at all buy-in levels and is endorsed by “everyman” poker pro Chris Moneymaker—an accountant who started the 2000s poker boom—showing it’s no stranger to inclusivity and accessibility. It’s thus no surprise that it’s also helmed various charitable initiatives that went all-in to support worthy causes.
Supporting food security
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvWe4K5svj0
Through its charitable initiatives, ACR Poker illustrates the power of celebrity endorsement in boosting exposure for a nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. That’s why it previously worked with none other than best friends and collaborative partners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The two have often starred on the silver screen together, with us previously noting their film, AIR—which was also directed by Affleck himself, as one of the biggest must-watch releases of 2023. The two actors also share a love of philanthropy, which is why they partnered with ACR Poker in 2020 to raise money amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Affleck and Damon helped the resulting online celebrity charity tournament, dubbed All-In For America’s Charity, attract household names like comedian Adam Sandler and NFL legend Tom Brady. With each participant asked to secure a spot for over $10,000, it successfully raised $1.75 million, with 100% of the proceeds going to Feeding America. The nonprofit, which specifically aims to provide hunger relief with a focus on the disparities in food security experienced by people of color, was able to use those funds to restock food banks across the country, helping stave off hunger issues exacerbated by the pandemic.
Upholding support of breast cancer awareness
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Credit: @acr_poker on Instagram
ACR Poker also leverages its large player base to raise awareness for important health issues. Given the inclusivity of its roster of pros, which includes Ebony Kenney and other women players who currently make up a minority of those on the competitive poker circuit, it places particular emphasis on breast cancer awareness. That’s why, every year, it holds a charity poker tournament to that end.
The third annual event held in 2024 featured key female members of the ACR Team, including Pros Kenney and Katie Lindsay as well as Svitlana Dryha, who represents ACR Poker online under the username “Svetarik.” It attracted over 300 players who made buy-ins starting at $55 each, allowing ACR Poker to match the tournament’s total prize pool in its donation to the United Breast Cancer Foundation.
Those players didn’t disappoint when encouraged to “ante up” for the cause, resulting in the online poker site contributing over $20,000. The funds raised here helped the platinum-rated, four-star charity bolster its awareness initiatives and deliver breast cancer services to patients nationwide, including Native American and Black women who are more likely to be diagnosed younger with more aggressive forms of the disease.
Spreading Christmas cheer
CHRISTMAS CHARITY DRIVE STARTS TOMORROW
-Raising money for local food bank/Toy Drive
-streamed on https://t.co/1y8WrtL9WcRAFFLE:
$2 donation = $55 ticket entry
$10 donation= $55 & $109 ticket entry
$20 donation= $55/$109/$215 ticket entry @ACR_POKER pic.twitter.com/qO7i7DQeQC— Jon Pardy (@Jon_Pardy) November 24, 2024
Generally, Americans are more likely to support nonprofits during the holiday season. A study by Upgraded Points notes that 48.8% of the country continues to donate the same amounts each year despite inflation, with many going to local charities to support their communities. ACR Poker leverages that—along with its digital reach—to show how poker tournaments can boost the spirit of generosity during the holidays. Last year, it worked with ACR Pro Jon Pardy to promote its Christmas charity tournaments on Twitch.
Twitch is becoming an increasingly popular platform for nonprofit fundraising, with Charity Digital revealing that its global audience of more than 200 million unique viewers raised over $400 million in 2023 alone. That made Jon Pardy’s Twitch channel, JonPardy.tv, an ideal avenue for endorsing ACR Poker’s daily online Christmas Charity Drive tournaments. Pardy participated in each event and streamed them live on Twitch.
He further encouraged viewers to contribute—even if they weren’t playing—by making donations ranging from $2 to $20, each corresponding to an increasing number of raffle entries that gave them the opportunity to win exclusive prizes. The donations sourced from Pardy’s livestream went to multiple local nonprofits and charities across the US and Canada, helping support disadvantaged groups who experience food insecurity and financial restrictions that may keep them from celebrating the holidays.
Given the success of ACR’s poker tournaments for charitable fundraising, it’s clear that finding fun and innovative ways to attract donors can be key to supporting disadvantaged groups across the country.
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